A Study on the Forest Policy and Japanese Capital Infiltration Process during the Japanese Colonial Period

The forest growing stock of Korean Peninsula in 1910 is estimated to be about 600 million cubic meters which provides a basis for the explanation of resource exploitation by the Japanese imperialism during the Japanese Colonial Period(1910-1945). The geographical distribution of forest growing stock was heavily biased : most of the stock was in the northern part of the peninsula with a little in the south. This led the Japanese Government to adopt the double line forest policy in the Korean peninsula. The creation of modern ownership of forestland in the Korean peninsula during the early 1900's can be understood as a means for the colonization under heavy influence of the Japanese Imperialism. The new ownership of forestland helped for the Japanese Government to exploit the vast virgin forest in the northern region and for the Japanese private capital to acquire a large area of forest land at a low cost. A large amount of Japanese capital infiliated into the forest sector of Korean peninsula since the Japanese firms are favored to local people in many aspects. The study concludes that the forest policy during the Japanese colonial period are to exploit the forest resources and to help the colonization by the Japanese capital. Therefore the period is considered as an era when the basis for future development of the nation's forestry sector was undermined